Party Notices & New Books

I write to advise of the sad news of the death of Chris Hauserman last Thursday in a car accident between Vancouver and Whistler. Chris was President of ALP UK Society,(ALP Abroad's previous name) from 2001 to 2003. Chris made me feel welcome at my first meeting in 2002 when I was fresh off the plane and was widely liked by all who met him. He will be missed.

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Human rights petition to outlaw the death penalty

The Australian Services Union has launched a petition calling for the Parliament of Australia to prohibit the use of capital punishment against Australian citizens at home or abroad, as well as an expansion of the current repatriation program.

The petition seeks to have all Australian citizens serving a custodial sentence in a foreign country repatriated to Australia.

The ASU web page to join in and sign the petition (either online or on paper) can be located at http://www.asu.asn.au/campaigns/humanrights.html

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NOTE: More on Labor's history can be viewed at: http://www.laborhistory.org.au

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The Vulnerable Country: Australia and the Global Economy
Tom Conley
Published by UNSW Press
RRP: $39.95

From its beginnings as a precarious convict settlement through the development of self-governing colonies, to Federation and beyond, recognising and dealing with vulnerability led Australians to embrace an insular attitude to the outside world. So how did Australia transform from a protected, insular country to an outwardly focused, globalised one? And why, in the current economic climate, should Australia resist a return to its protectionist past? Tom Conley argues that now, more than ever, the state has a responsibility to promote diversification of trade while regulating economic activity and ensuring that the benefits of growth are spread as widely as possible.

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The 86 Biggest Lies on Wall Street
John R Talbott
Published by Scribe
RRP: $27.95

How strong was the American economy going into the present crisis? How strong will it be a year from now? How about five years from now? Investors and citizens around the world realise, as never before, that they were all misled - lied to - about the stability of the financial system. But what now? John R. Talbott's ingenious new book, The 86 Biggest Lies on Wall Street, exposes the lies and then exposes us to the truth of what it will take to rebuild the US economy. As a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs, Talbott knows firsthand how the financial system operates and what it will take to fix it.

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Party Member profile: Herb Olm

Herbert Morton Olm was born at Ropeley in the Lockyer Valley on 7 August 1908. He is still with us. He is a much loved and respected and popular figure in the Laidley Tabeel aged-care home. Until recently he lived on the family farm at Ropeley with the support of his family. His grandson Joshua works for me as an electorate officer and is the treasurer of my branch of the ALP, the Raceview Flinders branch in Ipswich. Herb is an interesting character.

Herb joined the Labor Party in 1930. He would have joined earlier but in Queensland at that stage you had to wait until you were 21 to join the Labor Party. In Queensland now you can join the Labor Party at 15 years of age. He was made a life member of the party in 1978. In 1936 he married the love of his life, Maud, and they were blessed with eight children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1934, one of only three in Gatton at the time, and he is Queensland's longest serving JP. The most remarkable thing about his life is this: he lived all his life in the Lockyer Valley, which has always been a fairly conservative area. It is part of my electorate but traditionally it has voted conservative. He has been involved in many cooperative and society activities in the Lockyer Valley and is a Lockyer legend. In fact, the former conservative state member for Lockyer described him as a one of the 10 most important people in the Lockyer Valley.

One of the most interesting things about Herb is that in 1960 he managed to convince a very young police officer called Bill Hayden that he should run for the seat of Oxley. Oxley was created in 1949 and held by the then health minister Don Cameron. Oxley had existed before, but it had been renamed Griffith in 1934. But it had never been held by the Labor Party. Bill won it with a remarkable swing of 9.4 per cent. Herb took nine months off from the family farm to go full-time campaigning with Bill Hayden. Herb wrote many speeches. Bill was a young fellow and he had Dallas with him in an old car and they drove around all over the place. Herb introduced Bill to many farmers, cattlemen and people involved in all kinds of activities in the Lockyer Valley.

On Herb's 100th birthday, Bill Hayden spoke movingly and brilliantly at the Gatton Shire Hall. Many people were there, including the Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot. There were messages from all and sundry, from political leaders and one from the Queen. The mayor of the Lockyer Valley Regional Council was there, and I was honoured to be there among the 160 people. Bill attributed much of the swing that he got in 1961 to Herb. He spoke almost tearfully about what Herb had done for him: the mentoring, the advice, the counselling, the people Herb had introduced him to. His sage help was invaluable in Bill winning in 1961. I have Bill's old seat and it is very much as it was in 1961, except I have got Boonah instead of Esk.

People like Herb who have lived all their lives campaigning and being involved in community activities like Blue Care and many other voluntary things should be honoured. We should cherish them. People like Herb are not just an institution and a legend in the Lockyer Valley; they are to be admired and respected. His generation is a great generation. His contribution to political life and community life in the Lockyer Valley cannot be underestimated. I want to pay tribute to Herb and thank him for his generational contribution: now his grandson is helping me and his family has been involved in helping run Labor Party campaigns and helping the cause of the labour movement for generations.

Thank you, Herb, for the life you have lived. Thank you for what you have done for me, Bill Hayden and all those people who hold the principles of the Labor Party and the labour movement so dear. Well done, Herb.

...by Shayne Newmann, MP for Blair

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The Clean Industrial Revolution: Growing Australian Prosperity in a Greenhouse Age
by Ben McNeil

The world is in the midst of a seismic shift in the way we generate energy and grow economic prosperity. Since the first industrial revolution we've been burning carbon but climate change and supply issues are forging a new clean industrial revolution. So where does Australia's economic future lie in this rapidly changing world? Climate scientist and economist Ben McNeil demonstrates the immense opportunities that will open up if Australia leads the new clean industrial revolution. He shows how investing in, commercialising and exporting the new fuels, materials and technologies will boost economic prosperity as well as securing environmental sustainability. NOTE: For more info, including Greg Combet's book launch speech, visit: http://www.thecleanrevolution.com.au/

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Andrew Fisher: An Underestimated Man
Peter Bastian
Published by UNSW Press
RRP: $49.95

Australians take for granted the presence of their federal government yet it is impossible to overestimate, as this full biography reveals, the role Andrew Fisher played in its development. The book also reveals the skills with which Fisher led the ALP in its early years and his important contributions as wartime Prime Minister and as High Commissioner in London. It attempts to account for the obscurity of one of Australia's greatest reformers.

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Australian Republican Movement Short Story Competition

2009 is a milestone as it will be 10 years on 6 November 2009 since the republican referendum was lost. To commemorate this event and to remind Australians what they still don't have, the Australian Republican Movement is calling for speculative fiction short stories between 2000 and 4000 words that portray an Australian republican future in a positive light and demonstrate the absurdity of a hereditary monarch as the Australian Head of State in 21st century Australian society.

• Stories must be original and unpublished.
• 1st prize: $611.99
• Entry fee $11.99 (Cheques or postal order payable to Australian Republican Movement)
• For further information and an entry form, visit: http://www.republic.org.au/

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A Handbook of Ideas
Responses to the Global Crisis: charting a progressive path|
Published in 2009 by Policy Network, London
FREE to download from: http://progressive-governance.net/

The global financial crisis has dealt a shattering blow to the neo-liberal faith in laissez-faire as the dominant guiding principle for the organisation of markets. Meeting the challenges will require a critical but forward-looking debate on the issues and options available for reform. The aim of this "handbook of ideas" is to advance this debate by bringing together short policy recommendations and proposals by leading international thinkers on how progressives should approach the major economic and political challenges thrown up by the global crisis.

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In Government We Trust: Market Failure and the Delusions of Privatisation
Warwick Funnell , Rober Jupe , Jane Andrew
Published by UNSW Press
RRP: $39.95

There is a mounting disquiet throughout liberal democracies with the social and political consequences of aggressive free marker economies. This book is a timely investigation of the dangers of unfettered markets and the high-profile markers failures and crises brought about by the privatisation of core public services. The authors ague there is a limit to the substitution of government by the private sector, and that ultimate responsibility for providing high quality services must remain with the government.

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Vale: Frank Crean

Kevin Rudd says: "Today the Australian Parliament and the Australian Labor Party mourn the passing of the Honourable Frank Crean. Mr Crean passed away peacefully today aged 92, as the oldest former member of the Australian Federal Parliament.

"Frank Crean was a genuine Labor legend, he played a seminal role in Labor politics helping build and rebuild the Party in some of its darkest days, and served as one of the finest ministers in the Whitlam Government. After service in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Mr Crean was first elected as the Federal Member for Melbourne Ports in 1951.

"On the election of the Whitlam Government in 1972, Mr Crean entered Cabinet as Treasurer, delivering the first Labor Budget after 23 years in opposition. Following a period as Minister for Overseas Trade, in 1975 Mr Crean was appointed to the position of Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.

"During the life of the Whitlam Government, Frank Crean's dedication, determination and commitment to his beliefs was legendary. At the 1977 election Mr Crean retired, having served the people of Melbourne Ports and the people of Australia with great distinction for 26 years. It is testament to his passion and enduring commitment to Labor values that Frank Crean continued attending local branch meetings well into his twilight years.

"Frank Crean was the patriarch of a great Labor family with two sons also serving as Ministers in Labor Governments, including my cabinet colleague and friend, the Trade Minister Simon Crean. My sincere condolences go to his family and friends, in particular his wife Mary, who shared a partnership and life together with Frank over 63 years of marriage.

"The Australian Labor Party and people of Australia owe Frank Crean a significant debt of gratitude for his contribution to Australian public life."